A hacker breached the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to steal personal records belonging to more than 41,000 employees. The compromised information covers staff members across key agencies, including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as reported by TechCrunch and Wired.
Breach Details and Affected Agencies
According to TechCrunch, an individual operating under the handle “Department of Peace” infiltrated the system via Okta, an identity and access management platform utilized by the DHS. The stolen database exposes names, phone numbers, email addresses, job titles, and office locations.
The leaked files contain approximately 21,000 records tied to CBP employees and nearly 7,000 records belonging to ICE staff. Additional records originate from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Surveillance Links and Motive
The DHS has historically worked to protect the identities of CBP and ICE agents involved in nationwide anti-immigration operations and the tracking of online critics. The “Department of Peace” hacker told TechCrunch regarding the incident, “They have our information, so it’s only fair that we have theirs.” This security breach follows a separate incident weeks prior in which hackers stole data regarding FBI employees and job applicants.
The stolen DHS data was provided to cybersecurity researcher maia arson crimew, who subsequently handed it over to Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets). The nonprofit organization is currently hosting the leaked database, titled “Icepick.” Furthermore, the leak contains details regarding DHS units utilizing surveillance tools, such as the PenLink service for collecting and analyzing phone and online data, alongside the Mobile Fortify facial recognition application.
The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge.
